Since we were on a roll, we signed up for another wine tour the following afternoon. As it was booked through the hostel we were a little apprehensive, fearing a bunch of booze-seeking twenty somethings (old, us?). However when the bus pulled up it was full of folk around our age and upwards - and all from S America. Understanding little of the preamble on the bus out to the first vineyard, we flagged the issue and were assigned a private guide in English for th...

Having arrived in Mendoza mid-morning we checked into the hostel and spent the afternoon strolling around the town. We'd heard mixed reviews of the town, various earthquakes mean it is a relatively modern city with few historical sites. The centre certainly lives up to this review, think any medium sized town. However the walk out to the Parque General San Martin on the edge of the centre revealed streets of large, individually designed houses of various styles....

This afternoon saw the start of a mammoth 21 hour journey to Mendoza. We essentially spent the day experiencing local services and so I'll cover each in turn. 1. The doctors. Fabrice lost his voice to dramatic effect whilst on the salt flats tour in Bolivia and had had a bad cough ever since (two weeks). He finally agreed to see a doctor. Waiting time : about 15 mins. Cost : Around £13. Result : multiple prescriptions. Verdict : Very good. 2. The bank. Queuing...